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Walt Disney shows off figures for the “It’s a Small World” ride in 1964.(Disney Parks)

Q: How was Disney’s “It’s a Small World” created? —Melinda R., Los Angeles

A: Keen to develop new technologies for attractions, Walt Disney teamed with UNICEF to create a ride saluting children of all nations for New York City’s 1964 World’s Fair. Initially, he couldn’t find the right music to pipe into the water-filled rooms, where mechanical dolls dance as audiences pass by in boats. Songwriter Richard M. Sherman, 85, recalls that kids were recorded singing various national anthems, but “it was a cacophony—a mess.” Solution? He and brother Robert (who also wrote the songs for Mary Poppins) crafted the catchy ditty that debuted 50 years ago April 22. “We kept it simple,” says Sherman. “The message was, ‘Let’s learn to live together.’ ”